eli5 What does the ‘abort’ handle in spacecraft cockpits actually do?

Question

In many movies and media that depict real-life spacecraft, or near-future spacecraft that are logical progressions of real-life spacecraft, they show the abort handle or button or switch. What would happen in real-life if this handle was pulled during any given moment during space flight; takeoff, orbit, halfway to the moon, etc.?

In: Technology

Answer 1

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